Rockets report: Lin gets visit from Asian-American trailblazer Misaka

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Before playing against the Jazz, Rockets point guard Jeremy Lin met with one of his Asian-American predecessors. (Nick de la Torre / Houston Chronicle)

Long before there was Jeremy Lin, there was Wat Misaka leaving footsteps for Lin to follow. For the first time on Monday, those paths intersected.

The first Asian-American in the NBA met the latest, with Misaka arriving early at Energy Solutions Arena to exchange pleasantries before the game.

“It was humbling,” Lin said. “He was before all of us. He broke a lot of stereotypes, a lot of barriers and racial stereotypes. You have to pay respect to the people who came before you.”

Misaka, 89, said he has followed Lin’s career since Lin played at Harvard, writing to him several times. A native of Ogden, Utah, Misaka was drafted by the Knicks, then of the BAA, in 1947, with New York making him the team’s first-ever draft pick after he had led Utah to the 1944 NCAA and 1947 NIT championships.

“He’s kind of following in my footsteps and improving on them,” Misaka said. “I wrote him a note of encouragement when he was with (Golden State) back in the dark days when things didn’t look too good for him. He didn’t have all these fans at that time. He’s made a lot of progress since them. I think he’s in a lot better place now.”

McHale praises Jazz’s Jefferson

While Jazz coaches rave about Al Jefferson’s leadership, along with his improvement defensively, Rockets coach Kevin McHale was happy to add himself to the fan club.

“If you are innately a good person, you’re normally a good teammate,” said McHale, who traded for Jefferson as Timberwolves general manager and worked with him extensively on his low-post game. “Al is a good person. He is a great guy. I’ve known him a long time. I can see a little bit of his game rubbing off on the young guys. He has a unique game. He’s playing really well for them.

“The defensive improvement, that wouldn’t have been hard. You can tell Al I said that. Al has a good feel for the game.”